In My Mailbox!

I haven't done this meme in a while, so I'm pretty excited to join this week. I got a pretty good book week. I finally went to the library after a long hiatus, and even bought some from the bookstore. I have to tell you, I am even more excited because I didn't have to spend anything, because the books were bought using Christmas gift cards. Anyway, happy reading everybody and hope you're having a great weekend so far!

Library:
Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Change of Heart by Shari Maurer
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
Crash Into Me by Albert Borris

Bought:
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings complete set by J.R. Tolkien!! - so excited for this one! It was a $45 value and I got it for free because of a gift card. So happy and thankful!

The Future of YA

Amelia from Imagination in Focus wrote a post about her wishes for the YA genre in the years to come. The post not only pointed out interesting points -- most that I agree with -- but it also made me think about my own wishes for the YA genre. Read her post, comment, and maybe write your own as well. As for me, here are the things I would like to see, and perhaps not see, in the near future.

• More Contemporary Fiction about sensitive issues

Everytime I read these kinds of books, I tend to think about the readers that are going through the same exact things as the characters in these stories, and I imagine that it helps them a lot simply by reminding them that they're not alone. I just think that's a very important and significant thing to have. Some examples of these books, Willow by Julia Hoban, Speak and Wintergirls both by Laurie Halse Anderson, Scars by Cheryl Rainfield, among many others.

• Twisted fairy tale re-tellings

I just can't resist it when a fairy tale becomes twisted and creepy -- ala The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. It is so unique, and it gives a fresh new feel to a classic story.

• More realistic love stories

For some reason, there aren't much "romance" in the YA genre. I think a lot of people can relate to this, especially teens and YA readers. I mean, sometimes, it's just nice to read a good old love story every once in a while.

• 20-50s era

I'm talking about the roaring 20s, poodle skirts, diners, The Great Depression even.. there are so many things I can think of that surrounds this time. Like Amelia said on her post, there are a lot of Victorian novels out there, particularly in the 18th century, but there aren't a lot of books centered around the 20s-50s. I think it'd be quite interesting to see how young adults lived back then.

• Less vampires, werewolves, and faeries, please!

To be honest, I am getting a bit sick of the whole Paranormal genre trend going on. By this I mean, vampires/werewolves/faeries, etc. I feel like bookstores and libraries should have their own section for these paranormal creatures already due to so many books all about these! I enjoy a good paranormal novel or two, but I wish they'd venture out a little bit more. There are a whole lot of other interesting creatures that could be used, I think.

Water for Elephants.

I saw a movie last night and one of the trailers shown was Water for Elephants! I got so excited and curious to see because I honestly didn't know how they could make it into a movie. So far, just based on the trailer, I am really intrigued already.

The soundtrack and the overall feel of the movie trailer itself makes it look like it's going to be very good. I also do like Reese Witherspoon, but most especially Christoph Waltz -- from Inglourious Basterds!! And yes, if you've seen Remember Me, you probably saw Robert Pattinson in a whole new light. I think he's going to pull off this role. Oh, and a funny thing, guess what his name is in Water for Elephants... JACOB. Quite a funny coincidence, I have to admit.

I'm actually very excited to see this movie, as I really liked the book. What do you think?

BEA: needs convincing + questions

Should I go to Book Expo America 2011? I've always wanted to go! I'll be surrounded by books and bookish people, in a city that I want to live in! But, and there's a very big but, is it worth splurging on? Flights, hotel, other expenses... seems like it may cost a bit-- like any other trip/vacation would, I know -- so I need a little bit of convincing.

Why do you want to go to BEA? And if you've been there, what makes you come back? Also, how and where do you register? Is it true that there is a fee for book bloggers this year unlike last year?

To go would be an amazing experience, but I want to make sure it'll be worth it. Thanks for your feedback!

Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers

Genre: Young Adult

Synopsis: When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on...but are some questions better left unanswered?

Rating: 2 stars

Review: I know a lot of people loved this book. And as much as I wished I loved it as well, unfortunately I did not.

Writing: 4 stars
This has got to be the only good thing that I liked about this novel. The writing is unpretentious and effortless, and it flows beautifully. The author, Courtney Summers, knows exactly how to portray a teenager's troubled mind and she knows exactly how to paint a picture for her readers to see and feel it as well.

Characters: 1 star
I wasn't into any of the characters. I didn't feel emotionally invested, and I didn't even empathize with the situation. Even though I could see where the main protagonist, Eddie, was coming from, I was actually quite annoyed at her. I also didn't understand the point of the rest of the characters either. Culler? Milo? Why are they even there? The worst thing though, I have to say, is that there was no character development.

Plot development: 1 star

When I finished this novel, my first reaction was, "That's it?" I couldn't believe it was over. Just like that. It was built up, and then... DONE. There wasn't any sort of development with the plot or the characters, and the same questions I had in the beginning were simply unanswered. I was left there, feeling completely underwhelmed.

Overall:

When I first started this book, I saw promise, mainly because of the writing and the very mysterious plot line. Unfortunately, Fall for Anything fell flat for me. It definitely lacked something crucial. It was depressing -- and not in a this-is-life-we-just-have-to-learn-from-it-and-get-back-up kind of way. It was just depressing and nothing else. Maybe that was the point of the novel, but I simply didn't get it.

On Reading.

I was rereading Where Books Fall Open -- a reader's anthology full of drawings, paintings, poems, essays, etc about books and reading -- when I came across one of my favorite passages. I thought I'd share with you all, as I think you'd appreciate and relate to it more than anyone else I know.

On Reading

by Elizabeth Hardwick

As I have grown older I see myself as fortunate in many ways. It is fortunate to have had all my life this passion for studying and enjoying literature and for trying to add a bit to it as interestingly as I can. This passion has given me much joy, it has given me friends who care for the same things, it has given me employment, escape from boredom, everything. The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination.

...

Do you, every time you finish a good book and pick up another one, stop and think about what reading means to you? For me, there are so many passages out there that can explain what it means to me. I can even write an entire essay, maybe even a long blog post rambling on about it. But I think this short passage sums up how I feel about it pretty darn well. At least, for now.

a trip to a bookstore results to this.

I went to the bookstore today, just to look around. I wasn't meaning to get anything, as I wasn't really sure what to get to begin with, but while wandering around the YA section, I saw a random book I have never heard of. It's Annexed by Sharon Dogar, which is apparently "a powerful story of the boy who loved Anne Frank." I picked it up right away.

Like I said, I didn't know anything about it or what it was about, but it did look interesting. As soon as I read the synopsis, I was immediately sold.

What was it like hiding in the Annex with Anne Frank? To be with Anne every day while she wrote so passionately in her diary? To be in a secret world within a world at war -- alive on the inside, everything dying on the outside?
Peter Van Pels and his family have lost their country, their home, and their freedom, and now they are fighting desperately to remain alive. Look through Peter's eyes. He has a story to tell, too. Are you listening?

I don't know about you, but to me, that synopsis is so intriguing! It sounds like the perfect read for me, and while I was still in the bookstore, as I was debating with myself whether or not to get it, I took the time to read the first chapter. It was so good already and the writing sounds so beautiful I just couldn't pass it up. It also didn't hurt that 1) I love The Diary of Anne Frank and 2) for some reason, Annexed reminds me of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Need I say more?

This got me thinking about books we had no intention of getting or reading, but end up buying/borrowing anyway simply because of our attraction to its cover or its synopsis. I wonder, do you ever buy/borrow a book you have never heard about, or never read a single review of, simply because of this, shall we say, "instant connection?" Have you ever discovered any favorites because of this? What are some of those books? I'd love to hear from you.

hop hop hop!

Welcome to my blog! If you came here from the Book Blogger Hop over at Crazy-for-Books, thanks for visiting! This is where I talk, rant, rave, and gush about all things, books! This week, Jennifer asks, "Why do you read the genre that you do? What draws you to it?"

As I read pretty much every genre there is, it depends. Typically, it's really the synopsis that draws me to the books I read and not necessarily their genres.

I'd love to check your blog out as well, so please leave your link here if you can. Also, visit me on Twitter! Happy Friday, everyone!